The Moonwind Mysteries
The Night Raven (Book 1)
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The Night Raven by Johan Rundberg is book number one in The Moonwind Mysteries. Set in Stockholm in 1880, Mika, a twelve-year-old orphan, lives and works in a local orphanage. On the night the story opens, a young infant is brought to the door of the orphanage at night. She is dropped off with no information, just the words “[t]he Dark Angel knows I’m the one who took her” (5). This event leads to a visit from a local constable and filing of a police report.
As one thing quickly leads to another and opportunities arise, Mika is visited by another constable, Constable Hoff, as her expertise and skill are required. Mysteries surround and begin to unfold as Hoff and Mika quickly learn that the Night Raven, a notorious murderer thought to have been executed, is not dead at all. He actually escaped prison and has killed again. Risking life and limb, Constable Hoff and Mika work to uncover the Night Raven’s true identity and his whereabouts. But if something goes wrong, being an orphan, Mika knows no one will ever look for her or care that she is missing.
While recommended ages 9+, I would likely go 12/13+ and say that even then you need to know your child. As a mystery, this story is very intriguing and gripping. Readers will be enchanted as they try to solve the mystery of what is happening. With all of that being said, the story is also dark as Mika and the orphaned children are trying to survive a deadly winter, and she is helping to solve a murder. Mika also has a bit of a twisted humor as she often tells the younger children disturbing stories in order to make them laugh or to get their mind off the tragic situation they find themselves in as food and firewood are scarce. There are also a few instances of profanity noted below.
Noteworthy quotes/ mentions:
On pages 10 and 11, Mika tells a story about the baby arriving because it is ugly. The children soon realize she is joking. “Every single one of them knows this. And sometimes you have to laugh at the thing that scares you most” (11).
In addition to working at the orphanage, Mika works at a bar known as the Chapel and the owner is known as the Priest. He is quite abusive and vicious until Constable Hoff pays him a visit later in the story. In this particular scene, the Priest has hit Mika pretty hard in the face for arriving late to work.
On page 15 there is a mention of frozen bodies being found every day in shacks and under bridges due to the extremely harsh winter.
With Constable Hoff, Mika visits a crypt to examine a dead body. While there she is considering the cold and how it will quickly reflect the orphanage if the firewood runs out before the cold breaks.
On page 55, Mika is reflecting on the possibility of freezing to death, and that maybe it isn’t so bad. “Someone once said it feels like falling asleep” [...] Mika shakes it off. She thinks about what she heard Amelia say once, that death has a beautiful voice” (55).
The man executed as the Night Raven was beheaded. Mika considers what that might have been like - if he went willingly or if he was forced (66). This is prior to her realizing that he was never actually executed. Someone was, but it wasn’t the actual Night Raven.
On page 106-107, Mika tells the orphan children a story that police men eat children. She speaks of them frying fingers and toes first before cooking the whole body in a large pot for hours. She is telling a story to get the children to eat their gruel and stale bread, to take their minds off their situation. It works, but it is a gruesome reading if you have a more sensitive child.
“With locks and bolts, death can be kept outside the door. But if a hungry child stops even wanting to eat, then no locks in the world can help them. Then death is already sitting by their side” (109).
As for profanity: “dammit” (16), “Crap” (48), “Crap and piss” (84), and “that was a hell of a punch” (128).
As a sort of spoiler of the end, Mika solves the whereabouts of the Night Raven and his connections to others in the story. She learns a bit more about her own history and that Amelia, the head of the orphanage, has been keeping a secret from her. She also builds a sort of friendship with Constable Hoff.
Moreover, this story builds out intrigue and positive themes as Mika is selfless in the way she cares for Rufus and the other children in the orphanage. She tries to not be quick to judge, but understanding that people do certain things for a reason. She is also a brave and courageous character seeking to live her life to the fullest, to make it count.
The Queen of Thieves (Book 2)
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The Queen of Thieves The Moonwind Mysteries by Swedish author Johan Rundberg is an engaging story about a young group of orphans inherently looking for a loving home. Originally written in Swedish, this story is the second in The Moonwind Mysteries. Unfortunately, it wasn’t until I finished this story did I realize it was the second in a series. Despite a somewhat shortened falling action and conclusion, I did enjoy the story and plan to go back and read book one and book three.
Set in the 1800s, the story follows Mika, a twelve-year-old assistant to Amelia, the leader of the orphanage in which the orphans all live. Mika has questions about her own past, some of which she uncovers on her own and some that Amelia is willing to divulge. Unfortunately, some of the orphans close to Mika disappear. In searching for the missing orphans, Mika discovers that they have been taken in by a lady known as Henrietta. Thinking the orphans have been turned into thieves, Mika seeks help from a local policeman she has worked with before. Despite his assistance, Mika herself is arrested, fakes her death, learns how to pick locks, and must come face to face with who Henrietta really is. Fortunately, Mika is able to survive and to solve the mystery before it is too late.
Noteworthy quotes/ mentions:
Mika sometimes thinks back on the past. At one point she has a memory of children she found hiding. “Emaciated, starved, terrified children, their bodies covered in marks from beatings and rat bites” (31).
There is a mention on page 41 about magpies being an omen for death.
When Mika confronts Henrietta about Ossian and Kristina, Henrietta replies, “They’re a part of my family” [...] “Well, they’re not my own children, of course, but I’m sure someone with your background will appreciate that families can come in different guises” (57-58).
There is an infant, Nora, who was left at the orphanage. Mika cares for her and there are concerns at some points as to whether or not Nora will survive. Mika is dedicated to caring for her.
On page 126-127, Nora is weak and Mika thinks she might be dead. Fortunately, she is not.
“It’s as if the orphanage is sucking the life out of Nora. She needs to be given a real home where everyone cares about her” (129).
Mika must disguise herself after breaking out of prison and being presumed dead. She cuts her hair and puts on clothes that do not belong to her. On page 87, Mika is seeing herself and is shocked. The text states, “What was she expecting? A girl dressed as a boy, maybe. Whatever it was, she certainly wasn’t expecting to see this. The reflection looking back at her belongs to a completely different person, a stranger she has never seen before, both boy and girl at the same time. [...] She hardly recognizes herself.”
Thinking about the children one night before planning to leave, Mika’s thoughts state “Even if the children are provided with their daily bread and a bed to sleep in, they’ll always be easy to lure away with promises of something more. Because, despite their differences, they all share the same dream: the dream of another life, one beyond the orphanage” (97).
On page 121-122, Henrietta tells Mika a story about her birth, claiming that her father was a nobleman that had a brief affair with her mother, her mother then lived the rest of her days in shame for “having a child out of wedlock.”
“Anger swells inside Mika, like a kicked wasp’s nest, but she manages to keep it in check. Anger is dangerous. It causes a lack of focus, hasty decisions, and poor judgment” (158).
On page 172-173, Mika believes that Henrietta intends to kill Kristina as a diversion to steal a gem. Mika waves a signal and a separate diversion allows for Kristina to be rescued.
Speaking of Henrietta, “She was a predator” [...] “And predators seek out victims who appear weak and offer no resistance” (193).
“It’s not enough just to keep a child alive. A child also needs to be given hope. Hope that they might become more than just cheap labor” (195).
Overall, there is more build up to the climax than the action to resolve it, but the story is well told and engaging. Even though I started in the middle of the series, there are enough details and information that readers are not completely lost. Additionally, there is great messaging about watching for deception and what it looks like to care for others. I look forward to reading the other books in the series.
